5 Tips for Cheaper Travel
I love travel, it makes me feel free and powerful and adventurous.
The funny thing about me and travel is that it doesn’t matter how far I go, it has the same effect.
Whether it is a new inn an hour away or a hike in a part of my town I have never been to – they are all travel to me.
- Go Local
- Drive there/Vacation Rentals
- Sign up for your region’s TravelZoo emails
- Track your flights on Kayak.com
- Utilize travel rewards programs/credit cards
Go Local
If you are looking to save money the best way is to stay close to home. You save money on the costs to get there and you can keep an eye out for deals. The best part – if you like the place it is easy to go back and visit again!
Drive there/Vacation Rentals
As much as I love flying and airports, you can save a lot of money if you can drive to your vacation destination. While gasoline isn’t getting any cheaper it certainly beats paying airport taxes and jet fuel. When you are looking to save money on travel plot out a place you’d like to go and drive there. Whether you are driving or not, vacation rentals are a great way to save money. From less hotel bookings, to access to a full kitchen to cook in, renting a property is a sure way to save money on travel. Check out Flip Key for great vacation rental properties.
TravelZoo
One of my favorite websites for travel deals. TravelZoo gives you the option to sign up for their Top 20 deals for your area and you will receive weekly emails of deals that are local and around the Globe. From hotels to packaged vacations these emails will give you all the options you are looking for.
Kayak.com
Kayak.com is a great site for all of your travel research, but my favorite features are the Price Alert and the Fare Chart. Once you put in your flight search the options come up on the side. Click on these to see a chart of when the fares to this destination are at their lowest and highest and a price alert you can set to let you know what is happening with the price while you are waiting to book.
Travel Rewards/Credit Cards
If you are a travel junkie then you need to find the rewards and/or credit cards that will provide you with the best options for your travels. From hotel programs, to cruise $, to airline points search for the best deals for your travel needs. We utilize an airline rewards credit card and collect hotel rewards through the hotel chain we prefer to stay with. The best part is it all adds up to free travel!
Never heard of Travel Zoo, thanks for the tips. Having four kids I am always looking to save when travelling![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
gingermommy recently posted..Speech Pathology Assessment – Severe
Check out Travel Zoo – it’s great!![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel recently posted..Win a $100 Gift Card from Flipsize.ca
Hi, don’t forget as part of the ‘I Love My Post’ blog hop, you have to follow all the hosts and co-hosts(including me) to take part :)
http://bigmegowski.blogspot.ie/
xo![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Megan Maguire recently posted..Day 24: A song that you want to play at your funeral
Great tips, I love Kayak! I like that you say go local. I tend to only count it as “travel” if there is a plane involved so you just made my one night getaway this weekend feel even more fun and exotic :)![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Hilary @ PeanutButterSpoonfuls recently posted..Pretenduversary and Chaos Bowl
Thanks! I love plane travel too. But, love the idea of getting away somewhere quick too :)![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel recently posted..Win a $100 Gift Card from Flipsize.ca
These are some great tips! I got 2 round trip tickets from okc to st Lucia for 70k miles and $350. I was real proud of that but it took nearly a week to get everything figured out. Esther Norine Designs
I’ll check out all of these tips. I’m always trying to get as far away as possible but with kids but your advice on going local might be worth considering.
Travel with kids is always fun and gives you a wonderfully different perspective on the place you are going.![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel recently posted..Win a $100 Gift Card from Flipsize.ca
Thanks for the tips! Our family enjoys travelling, but we like to keep down costs because there’s 7 of us!![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Jenna Em recently posted..Snow & Childhood Winter Memories!
I have never heard of this and will have to check it out. Those sound like some cute tips… keeping the costs down is always important.
Great Tips – we are always looking for ways to keep costs down.
Thanks for the tips! We spent last weekend at a local hotel and had a blast :)![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Jody @ Mommy Moment recently posted..Sears will be launching their newest line of kids & baby fashions – Carter’s and OshKosh!
thank you for the tips very useful![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
torviewtoronto createwithmom recently posted..Beaded Jewelry: Creating our own style
thanks for the tips, we need to plan a vacation to disney world for next year :)
Great tips! Traveling with three boys is exhausting LOL We usually stay relatively local. Ha ha! xoxo, Jessica![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Jessica Marie recently posted..Stealing…It’s just not right
I am not much of a traveler, but these are great tips!
http://www.talesofmommyhood.com![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
ashley picco recently posted..Freshpoints – cash out for gift cards
Travelzoo is one of my favourite newsletter subscriptions. But also one of my most hated because I can’t resist a deal. LOL! I also use a lot of reward credit cards.![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Cheryl @ Kids On A Plane recently posted..5 Tips for Taking Better Photos Everyday
Thanks for the tips. :)![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Tami recently posted..I Love My Online Friends GFC Blog Hop
Great tips. My hubby and I have been working on collecting points – last year, we were able to fly to LA to take a cruise to Mexico on our Aeroplan points. We’re hoping to do something like that again in a year or two… :)![My Profile](https://familyfoodandtravel.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
Bonnie Way recently posted..Old Navy Kids & Baby Sale
Super impressed that you were able to do all that travel on points! I always get too excited and cash them in on smaller travel. Aiming for a BIG trip this time :)
Thanks for the tips! Good info!
Thanks for the great tips!!!!!! I never thought about applying for a credit card that rewards you with points.